System and method for chemical contamination detection and decontamination certification

ABSTRACT

A portable chemical contaminant detection system and related method is provided. The detection system includes a detector having one or more probes and associated detector circuitry that is in communication with a mobile device. The system is in communication with a remotely located server, where the detection system transmits contaminant detection signals while measuring a fluid from a product or a container of a chemical used on the product. The contaminant detection signals are transmitted in real-time and the detection system receives contaminant level information determined by the server. The server may process data from multiple probes to track multiple contaminants or a single contaminant based on the multiple different probe data from a single detector. The system displays real-time decontamination feedback and displays process completion notification or automatically implements decontamination shut-off. The server tracks location information and contaminant levels for products and communicates with third party certification servers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/690,368, filed Jun. 27, 2018, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORCHEMICAL CONTAMINATION DETECTION AND DECONTAMINATION CERTIFICATION, theentirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Chemical contamination is a problem for industry, agriculture, andconsumers alike. For industrial manufacturing companies, confirming thecleanliness of storage, processing, and transfer equipment is a timeconsuming and expensive endeavor. Consumers have a need to know that theproducts they buy are free from contamination. For agriculture,off-target application of pesticides is a rapidly growing problem. Onefactor contributing to such contamination is ineffective cleaning ofspray tanks which causes sensitive crops and neighboring flora to bedamaged when sprayed (either directly or indirectly) followingapplication of certain herbicides. The problem is growing rapidly withthe increased glyphosate tolerance that has developed with hundreds ofspecies of weeds. This is because to prevent their spread and ensurefood security for the world, seeds are now utilized that are tolerant tothe extremely phytotoxic 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) anddicamba (2-methoxy-3,6-dichlorobenzoic acid). Tens of millions of acreshave switched to such seeds and tens of millions of acres more areforecasted to be planted with such tolerant seeds. Consequently theseseeds will be treated with 2,4-D and dicamba. Concerns about glyphosatehas led to expensive litigation with large judgments already awarded.This is going to fuel growth of different pesticides and the desire ofconsumers to ensure that their food products are free of whicheverpesticides are used. With such new technological developments,off-target drift from inadequate spray tank decontamination ofherbicides will result in injury to any nearby non-resistant crops andother fauna. Current decontamination practices typically include simplycleaning with copious amounts of ammonia and water (or other commercialcleaning product) and delays caused by the need to send out for labresults verifying adequate decontamination has been achieved. Thus,there exists a need for a safe and effective system and method forchemical detection, decontamination and certification.

SUMMARY

A chemical contaminant detection system and tracking method is provided.According to one aspect, the contaminant detection system includes aportable detector having a probe and detector circuitry for detecting apredetermined contaminant in a fluid sample. The system may also includea mobile device configured to wirelessly receive contaminant detectiondata from the portable detector and transmit the contaminant detectiondata from the portable detector to a remotely located processor inreal-time. The mobile device may be further configured to receive anddisplay on the mobile device real-time contaminant level data processedby the remote processor from the contaminant detection data. Indifferent implementations, system is mobile and sized to be hand-heldand the detector may include plurality of probes each configured todetect a different contaminant. The system may be configured to receivethe fluid sample from a rinsate collection apparatus connected to avessel during a cleaning process of the vessel. Additionally, the mobiledevice may receive and display a cleaning completion notificationreceived from the remote processor in response to determination by theremote processor that the transmitted contaminant data indicates acontaminant level in the fluid sample has reached a predetermined level.

According to another aspect, a method of determining the level ofchemical contaminant in a fluid sample includes introducing a probe of aportable detector system into a fluid sample to detect at least onecontaminant in the fluid sample and wirelessly transmitting contaminantdetection signals from detection circuitry in communication with theprobe to a mobile device of the portable detector system. The methodfurther includes transmitting, in real-time, the contaminant detectionsignals from the mobile device to a remotely located processing systemand then receiving, in response to the transmitted contaminant detectionsignals, real-time contaminant level data processed by the locatedprocessing system from the contaminant detection signals. The mobiledevice displays the real-time contaminant level data to a user on adisplay. In various implementations, the method may include taking thefluid sample from an agricultural spray tank, industrial mix tank ortransportation tank. Additionally, in some embodiments the mobiledevice, in response to receiving a cleaning completion message from theserver, transmits a shut-off command configured to automatically shut ofequipment being used in the cleaning process of a vessel.

According to yet another aspect, a method for managing contaminantcertification data based on real-time testing of contaminants at localstages of production of a product is provided. The method may beexecuted in a system having a plurality of product handling facilitiesat different geographic locations, where each of a plurality of portablecontaminant detection systems located at a respective one of the producthandling facilities is in communication with a central contaminanttracking server. In this system, the central contaminant tracking serverreceives user and device identification from a portable contaminantdetection system at one of the plurality of product handling facilities.The server also receives real-time contaminant detection data from theportable contaminant detection system. The server determines acontaminant type and a current contaminant level data from received thecontaminant detection data, and then transmits the current contaminantlevel data to the portable contaminant detection system for display atthe portable contaminant detection system. Determining the contaminanttype and transmitting the current contaminant level data is performed inreal-time and, in response to determining that the current contaminationlevel has reached a desired threshold, the server transmits a completionnotification to the portable contaminant detection system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for real-time chemical contaminationdetection and decontamination certification according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of detector circuitry that may beimplemented in the detector of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of functional layers that may beimplemented in the remote server of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the types of data records that may bestored in the data storage layer of the remote server of FIG. 1

FIG. 5 illustrates a system for the decontamination of an agriculturalspray tank according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a system for the decontamination of an agriculturalspray tank according to an alternative embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a system for the decontamination ofa vessel at a production facility

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method for detecting contaminant levelsand tracking certification-related data executable in the system of FIG.1.

FIG. 9 illustrates a mobile device of the detector system of FIG. 1 andexemplary chemical processing, food processing and vessel cleaningequipment controllable by the mobile device in one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a food safety processing flow utilizing thesystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 illustrates a computer system which may be implemented in, oras, one or more parts of the system illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to address the need for faster and more reliable handling ofchemical cleaning and decontamination, and to provide for verificationor certification of a product's reduced exposure to chemicals or othercontaminants tracked from production to market, on-site portablecontamination testing systems and methods are described herein, whetherat a chemical production facility, farm, food processing plant orfurther downstream in the food distribution path at the retail orconsumer location. There is increasing interest in the effects ofmaterials/chemicals used in the production of products and in particularthe production of food. This interest in food contaminants has led manyconsumers to request “Organically Grown” food. However, many consumersdon't have the economic ability to purchase organically grown food as ittends to cost more than traditional agriculture. In addition, currentmethods to grow organically are unlikely to sustain the growing worldpopulation as the methods produce lower yields per acre which is one ofthe biggest drivers in cost. Pesticide residue is determined during theregistration process with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)however field testing is generally only done during the originalregistration process for organic certification and for any subsequentrequirements.

Regulation, environment, and sustainability are increasing concernsglobally. In agriculture this is primarily focused on naturallyoccurring toxins (alflatoxin, etc.) pesticides. Regulations continue toput pressure on the use of pesticides and the control of toxins. Forenvironmental and sustainability industry continues the development ofnewer chemistries and the reduction of more hazardous chemistry.

In industry, the increase in flexibility and reduction in capitalcreates many multi-use systems, vessels, and transportation systems.This increases the potential for cross contamination through failure toclean the prior vessel effectively prior to loading with the nextchemistry or product. Technical solutions are provided herein that allowthe determination of contamination in a short enough time, and allowinformed decision making by people with no advanced chemical analyticalknowledge. People with advance analytical knowledge are currently usingtechnical solutions that impose significant costs in terms of time.

Methods and systems are provided herein to address the need to certifyproduction equipment and perform tests as well provide results inreal-time. Additionally, methods and systems for using this real-timecontamination detection to manage product flow and reliably track andverify a product's exposure to chemicals or other contaminantsthroughout a complete supply chain are disclosed.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodimentsare described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in theart. Indeed, the present disclosure may be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in thespecification, and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”,“the”, include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. As used in the specification, and in the appended claims, thewords “optional” or “optionally” mean that the subsequently describedevent or circumstance can or cannot occur.

As used herein, the term “chemical contaminant” refers to any air-based,liquid, or solid chemical the presence of which needs to be measured.Chemical contaminants include, but are not limited to, inorganiccontaminants (IOCs), volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), syntheticorganic contaminants (SOCs), organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, ordisinfection by-products. Chemical contaminants include all commonagricultural chemicals used on or around a crop such as, for example,herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. Specific agricultural chemicalcontaminants include 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and dicamba(2-methoxy-3,6-dichlorobenzoic acid). As used herein, the term “vessel,”“container,” and “tank” may be used interchangeably and also includessurrounding support equipment such as pipes, hoses, and pumps.

A system for chemical decontamination detection is provided. The systemis mobile or portable for ease of use in various environments. Thesystem may be hand-held. The system may include a variety of componentsas provided herein within a rugged, stable shell or case. The system mayalso be powered via alternating current or direct current. The directcurrent may be provided by a battery such as, for example, or morelithium or alkaline batteries.

The system may be equipped with one or more software packages loadedwithin. The software may be electronically connected to the varioussystem components as provided herein. The software may also beelectronically integrated with a display for viewing by a user. Thedisplay may be any variety of display types such as, for example, aLED-backlit LCD. The system may include a memory component such thatoperating instructions for the system may be stored and all data relatedto detected contaminant levels may be stored or archived for laterretrieval or downloading onto a workstation or smartphone.

According to one embodiment, the system may include a collectioncomponent. The collection component may include an inlet for fluidcollection. The collection component may be a physical extension ofsampling area with an electronic signal connection to a detectorcomponent as described herein. The collection component may include orbe connectable to a probe designed to generate a signal when exposed toa specific compound.

According to one embodiment, wherein the wireless signal is processedwith specialized algorithms based on chemistry, physics, and/or quantummechanics by a remote server and the output data is nearlyinstantaneously wirelessly transmitted back to the mobile system fromthe remote server certifying an acceptable level of chemical contaminantwhen achieved. According to one embodiment, the sensing unit is mobileand sized to be hand-held. According to one embodiment, current versionsof the algorithms appropriate to the contaminants being tested areloaded on the sensing unit to allow it to operate independently ofwireless communications. The mentioned algorithm may include the abilityto combine inputs from sensors based on differing technologies toidentify substances that individual sensing technologies would typicallynot be able to distinguish.

According to one aspect, a method of determining the level of chemicalcontaminant in a sample is provided. The method includes the steps ofcollecting a fluid sample and detecting any chemical contaminant in thefluid sample. In different embodiments, the fluid sample may be takenfrom an agricultural spray tank, an industrial mix tank, atransportation tank or any of a number of other fluid carrying vessels.According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step oftransmitting a signal regarding the level of contaminant in the sampleto a device at a remote destination. The remote destination device maybe a locally operated mobile or portable device, such as a smart phone,tablet device, pad, or laptop computer. In other embodiments, the remotedestination may be a stand-alone or networked computer, cloud device, orserver accessible via a local portable device. According to oneembodiment, when the signal is transmitted wirelessly to a remoteserver, a return signal is transmitted to the system providingcertification when an acceptable level of chemical contaminant isachieved.

According to one embodiment, the system as provided herein includes adetector. The detector may utilize gold catalyzed chemiluminescenceimmunoassay, immunoassay in microfluidics, electrochemical immunoassay,or dip-stick immunoassay. According to one embodiment, the detector mayutilize an interferometric sensor based on a planar optical waveguide.According to one embodiment, the detector may utilize immunoassays ontop of the waveguide for detection of one or more chemical contaminants.According to one embodiment, the detector may include one more polymers.According to on embodiment, the detector may include, or function basedon, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. According to one embodiment,the detector may utilize or more polypeptides, nucleic acids,antibodies, carbohydrates, lipids, receptors, or ligands of receptors,fragments thereof, and combinations thereof such as that set forth inU.S. Patent Pub. No. 20080138797, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein. According to one embodiment, thedetector may provide a visible color change to identify a particularchemical contaminant. According to on embodiment, the detector mayinclude a reference component that provides secondary confirmation thatthe system is working properly. Such secondary confirmation may includea visual confirmation or chemical reference that is detected andmeasured by the detector.

According to one embodiment, the detector includes at least one filter.The filter may be located between the collection and component and thedetector. According to one embodiment, the at least one filter includesactivated charcoal. According to one embodiment, the at least one filterincludes at least one resin such as anion exchange resin, cationexchange resin, softener resin, or a combination thereof.

According to one embodiment, the detector analyzes a fluid sample, suchas a gas, a liquid or any combination thereof. The fluid may be arinsate that flows from any fluid source. The fluid may also be a watersample. The fluid may include one or more chemical contaminants thatrequire detection and certification of a certain level. According to oneembodiment, the detector is calibrated to detect certain levels of atleast one fluid, such as a liquid, gas or aerosol, chemical contaminant.According to one embodiment, the detector is calibrated to detectcertain levels of specific agricultural chemicals such as, for example,2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and dicamba(2-methoxy-3,6-dichlorobenzoic acid). The detector may be sensitive downto a parts per million level. In some implementations, the detector mayalso be sensitive down to a parts per billion level. The differentiationbetween typically difficult to distinguish substances, such as 2,4-D anddicamba, may be achieved in the disclosed real-time system because ofthe ability of this technology to combine the signals from two or moretypes of sensors. By gathering and transmitting real-time sensor datafrom more than one type of probe, a computation layer of a remote serverin the disclosed system may use an algorithm to interpret the signals indirect real-time comparison for immediately identifying and quantifyingthe concentration of different compounds. In alternative embodiments,the detector system may make the analysis and calculations itselfwithout the use of the processing power of the remote server.

The fluid introduced to the system described herein may be obtained fromvarious fluid sources. The fluid source includes any vessel or containerthat may come internally in contact with a chemical contaminant. Thesystem as provided herein may be placed in fluid communication with thevessel so as to detect and certify acceptable contaminant levels in realtime. Fluid communication may be established via a tube or other conduitthat allows any fluid containing at least one chemical contaminant tocome in contact with, or flow through, the system as provided herein.

According to particular embodiment, the fluid source may be a liquidsource such as an agricultural spray tank. Such a spray tank may belocated on a tractor (or other agricultural implement), in a field/croparea, at a farmer's cooperative or other location where a farmer willutilize spray tank. Specific embodiments of spray tank detection areprovided in Examples 1 and 2 below. According to the various embodimentsdescribed herein, the system and method may reduce the time typicallyrequired for spray tank decontamination, minimize the need to utilize(and store) large volumes of ammonia and other commercial tank cleaners,reduce dependency of the farm equipment operator to executedecontamination processes without benefit of knowledge of the pointcompletion, eliminate the application of improperly decontaminated spraytank rinsate on labeled crops, and/or reduce legal risk to the farmequipment operator by providing documentation of spray tankdecontamination.

According to one particular embodiment, the fluid source includes anindustrial/commercial vessel. Such a vessel may be located within oraround a manufacturing facility that utilizes any one or more of avariety of chemical contaminants at food, chemical, or biologicalproduct manufacturing operations facility or at a famer's cooperative.In another embodiment, the fluid source includes a shipping containerthat stores and transports a fluid chemical. The shipping container maybe located on a truck, train, or other means of transportation. Theshipping container may also be located on or around shipping dock.

According to one embodiment, the detector may be optionally equipped toanalyze additional environmental factors such as, for example,particulate matter (viable and otherwise), temperature, air flow, andhumidity.

The system as provided herein may also include a transmitting component.The transmitting component may be in electronic signal communicationwith the detector component. The transmitting component sends ortransmits a signal regarding real-time chemical contaminant level data.Such data may provide evidence of chemical contaminant removal and/orinactivation and reduces. The transmission of such data may includereal-time transmission via any of a number of known communicationchannels, including packet data networks and in any of a number offorms, including text messages, email, and so forth. Such real-timetransmission may be sent to a remote destination via a wireless signal.The wireless signal may travel via access to the Internet via asurrounding Wi-Fi network. The wireless signal may also communicate witha remote destination via Bluetooth or other radio frequencytransmission. The remote destination may be a smart phone, pad,computer, cloud device, or server. The server may store any data forfurther analysis and later retrieval. The server may analyze anyincoming data using artificial intelligence learning algorithms orspecialized chemical, physical, or quantum mechanical expertiseprogrammed into the server and transmit a signal back to the systemconfirming an acceptable of chemical contaminant was achieved. Accordingto one embodiment, the system or server may be equipped with, or haveaccess to, contaminant level reference data such that certification maybe received by the system alerting a user that an acceptable level ofchemical contaminant has been achieved. An acceptable level of chemicalcontaminant may be any predetermined level that is set by a rule-makingauthority such as, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) or by a law-making authority.

According to one embodiment, the system includes a wireless data link toa phone line. Alternatively, a wireless data link to a building LocalArea Network may be used. The system may also be linked to TelephoneBase Unit (TBU) which is designed to physically connect to a phone jackand to provide 900 MHz wireless communications thereby allowing thesystem to communicate at any time the phone line is available.

A method of determining the level of chemical contaminant in a sample isalso provided. The method includes the step of collecting a sample. Thesample may be from any fluid source as provided herein. According to aparticular embodiment, the sample is taken from an agricultural spraytank, industrial/commercial mix tank, or transportation tank. The methodfurther includes the step of detecting any chemical contaminant in thesample. The method utilizes at least one detector as described hereinwhich is in electronic communication with the transmitting component.

The method further includes the step of displaying the chemicalcontaminant levels to a user of the system. The step of displaying thecontaminant levels may be carried out via projecting any real time dataon a screen as described herein.

The method may further include the step of transmitting a signalregarding the level of contaminant in the sample to a destination. Thestep of transmitting may occur via a wireless signal, Bluetooth, radiofrequency, local area network, or via a traditional phone line. Thesignal from the system includes data related to the level of chemicalcontaminant in the sample and diagnostic information about the sensorand the parameters around its use. The destination may be smart phone,pad, computer, cloud device, or server. The destination may, in turn,communicate or signal the system that an acceptable level of chemicalcontaminant is achieved or that the level is unacceptable. In the eventthe level of chemical contaminant is acceptable, the destination maycommunicate a certification of acceptable chemical contaminant level.The certification may be based on environment standards promulgated byan authority such as, for example, the EPA. The certification may alsobe simultaneously submitted to a local or national authority such as,for example, the EPA. According to an alternative embodiment, thedestination is a smart phone, pad, computer, cloud device, or serverunder the custody of a local or national authority such as, for example,the EPA.

The method may further include the step of disposing of the sample perlegal requirements. Such legal requirements assure that any sample stillcontaining unacceptable levels of chemical contamination are disposed ofproperly so as not to cause harm to a user or the environment.

A method can be integrated with a process of decontaminating a vessel.The method may also include the step of adding a cleaning composition tothe vessel to form a rinsate. According to such an embodiment, thevessel may be in fluid communication with a vessel pump for moving thecleaning composition through the vessel and out to the system. Themethod may also include the step of attaching a collection apparatus tothe vessel to that any rinsate exiting the vessel is channeled directlyto the system for analysis. The method may also include the step ofmonitoring the detector until the detector indicates an acceptable levelof chemical contaminant within the rinsate. According to one embodiment,the tank cleaning composition includes at least one chemical agent andwater. Also, the process may further include the step of disposing ofthe rinsate per legal requirements.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an embodiment of a contaminant detection system10 is shown. The system 10, includes a detector unit 12, also referredto herein as a detector, configured to sample a test item 14 for adetection target, such as a chemical contaminant, via a collectionapparatus 16. The collection apparatus 16 may be any of a number offluid pathways and devices configured to route the substance from thetest item 14 into contact with the probe 20 of the detector 12. Forexample, the collection apparatus 16 may be a liquid conduit, or liquidconduit and pump arrangement when the test item is a liquid.Alternatively, the collection apparatus may be a gas conduit, or a fanand gas conduit if the test item is a gas. The collection apparatus 16may be integrated with the detector unit 12, or may be removableconnectable to the probe 20 of the detector unit.

The detector 12 unit may communicate the raw data or findings of theprobe 20 in real-time with a mobile device 18. The mobile device 18 mayinclude logic stored in local memory on the mobile device to interpretthe raw data and findings directly, or it may communicate over a network24 with a remotely located server 26 to transfer the raw data orfindings and request interpretation by logic located at the server 26.The mobile device 18 may be a handheld device, such as a smart phone,tablet, laptop computer that permits a user access to the real-timemeasurements of the probe and their real-time interpretation by a remoteserver 26. As described in greater detail below, the real-timeinterpretation of contaminant levels may be displayed to the user on themobile device with an indication of whether the amount of contaminant orpurity of a substance is in a desired range. In some embodiments, theinformation received back from the server 26 may include notificationthat a cleaning process is complete or that a process requiring acertain purity may continue, and/or may include instructions that themobile device passes on to local cleaning or processing equipment tocease or begin operations automatically based on the detected aspects ofthe contaminant or substance. Additionally, the remote server mayconcurrently communicate results and verification of completeddecontamination processes to a third party server, such as a regulatoryagency server 28, insurer, or other interested party.

In the context of chemical production, the detector 12 may be configuredto look for a desired detection target and thus may be used to monitoror sample a desired substance for purity. In the context of cleaning orre-use of a vessel for the same or a different substance, the detectorunit 12 may be configured to look for a particular contaminant orcontaminants. In this latter arrangement, the detector unit may be usedin conjunction with, or incorporate, cleaning equipment used to clean avessel containing the test item.

The target item for testing may be any of a number of items orlocations. For example, the target item may be a vessel, such as achemical plant vessel, a tank car or tank truck, farm equipment orvessels, soil, food, an agricultural field, and so on. The form of thedesired substance or contaminant being detected in or on the target itemmay be a fluid, such as a gas, a liquid or a combination of a gas andliquid. Additionally, the desired substance or contaminant may includeone or more pesticides, pathogens, pollutants, beneficial organisms andother substances.

The detector unit 12 may include a probe 20 in communication withdetector circuitry 22. The probe 20 may be a single purpose probe 20designed for detection of one type of desired substance or contaminant,may include a plurality of probes 20 each designed to detect a differentrespective substance or contaminant, or may include one or more probes20 each designed for detection of more than one type of substance orcontaminant. As will be evident in the examples provided below, theprobe 20 may be placed in contact with, or proximity to, the target itembeing measured via the collection apparatus. The detector circuitry 22may be configured to translate probe information into electrical signalsor data in a predetermined format and to transmit the electrical signalsor data over a wireless (e.g., Bluetooth) or wired connection to themobile device. The detector circuitry may perform some or all of anydata adjustment necessary for the sensed information from the probe 20,for example adjustments to the sensed information based on probe type orage, or may simply pass the data on for transmission to the mobiledevice 18.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, an embodiment of the detector circuitry 22 isshown. The detector circuitry 22 included in the detector unit 12 mayinclude a power supply circuit 32 (battery or AC), an internal clock 30for tracking measurement times for the associated probe 20, a sensingcircuit 38 arranged to receive measurements or readings from the probe20, and a communication interface 40 for communicating with the mobiledevice 18. The detector circuitry 22 may include a central processingunit (CPU) 34 or other controller, along with a memory 36 for storingexecutable instructions for operating the detector unit 12 and storinginformation sensed from the probe 20. The probe may include chemical,electrical, optical, and/or other sensitivity and is configured totranslate the sensed information into electrical signals for the sensingcircuit B5 to recognize. The CPU 34 may control the detector unit totransmit the data immediately from the sensing circuit 38 to the mobiledevice 18 via the communication hardware B6. Alternatively, the sensingcircuit 38 may store the sensed information in the memory 36 and the CPU34 may cause the sensed information to be transmitted at predefinedintervals via the communication hardware 40. In yet otherimplementations, the CPU 34 may only direct the sensing circuit 38 tosample the probe 20 information at predetermined time intervals (e.g. afixed number of milliseconds apart) and transmit the sensed informationat the same, or a different, interval via the communication interface40.

Referring to FIG. 3, the remote server 26 may be a computer configuredas a web page host providing web-enabled services and includingfunctional layers such as user identification management 42, a user datafilter 44, a computation layer 46 and a data storage layer 48. The useridentification management 42 may be a user authentication function toverify that authenticated users and mobile devices are properly screenedand allowed access. The computation layer 46 may include functionalitythat receives raw or partially processed data from a detector 12 via amobile device 18 and determines the type and level of contaminantassociated with the received data based on predetermined algorithms.Although the computation layer 46 functions of the server 26 may also,or alternatively, be stored in the mobile device 18 in certainembodiments, an advantage of real-time transmission of the detected datato the server 26 for processing is that greater processing power may beapplied to more quickly translate the received data into contaminantlevel determinations. Also, the central location of the computationlayer 46 in the remotely located server 26 provides a centralizedlocation with which to update and control the techniques used totranslate the data from the various detectors 12. In differentimplementations, the computation layer 46 may implement artificialintelligence learning algorithms or specialized chemical, physical, orquantum mechanical expertise programs to process the real-time data intocontaminant levels for immediate transmission from the server 26 to, anddisplay on, the mobile device 18.

The data storage layer 48 may include data on users, devices, devicetypes, and, as discussed in greater detail below, a history ofcontaminant test results for both vessels used in a production processand products, such as crops or processed foods that have been in contactwith the vessels or the contents of the vessels used in the productionof that crop or food. Referring now to FIG. 4, an example of the datatypes stored in the data storage layer of the remote server is shown.The data storage layer may include probe data 50 for the various probes20 that are associated with detectors 12 in the field and registeredwith the system. The probe data 50 may include information about eachspecific probe 20, such as the type and age of the probe (e.g. thenumber of tests run with the probe and the in service data of theprobe). The probe data 50 may additionally include information on theprobe's technology, including the substances testable by the probe aloneor in combination with other probes, probe age calibration curves foruse by the computation layer to adjust data received from the probe toaccount for potential effects of aging on the measurements, and probetechnology interaction algorithms, for example this information may bean algorithm such as described herein to use multiple probe datareceived concurrently to differentiate for detection of acompound/contaminant that may not be directly discernible by a singleprobe. Similarly, detector data on the detector 12 itself may be storedin the data storage layer 48 of the server 26. The detector data 52 mayinclude serial number and MAC ID for the specific hardware,identification of authorized users, the location of the last use of thedetector and the account ID associated with the detector 12. Vessel data54 on the vessel being tested and tracked may be included in the datastorage layer 48 of the server 26. The vessel data 54 may include theunique identifier of the vessel and the account ID of the accountassociated with that vessel.

To provide improved tracking and certification of decontamination ofvessels and the history of contact with vessels and contaminants, thedata storage layer 48 also may include historical test data 56 receivedfrom different detectors 12 and associated with specific containers,product lots and so on. The historical test data 56 may include data foreach test run, such as: a record that probe compatibility was confirmedfor each test, the time stamps and detector values received for thetest, the age of probe corrections and probe interaction factorsdetermined for the test, and the calculated values for the contaminantor substance detected. Additionally, historical test data 56 for eachtest run may include location and identification information, such asthe geolocation of the detector 12 at time of test, the identifierinformation for the vessel, detector, user, and probe(s) 20 for thattest run, and the account ID of the entity for whom the tests are beingrun and tracked. In order to link the individual tests to a common cropor product, the historical test data 56 may also include data 58 for thelot or agricultural field tested, such as the time stamps of the test,the lot/agricultural field bar code (or other unique identifier), thecustomer lot number of the food product and a test identifier number.When the testing is performed at a food processing plant, the server 26may also include the lot number, food description and or food packuniversal product code (UPC) or other identifier and link that to thehistory of testing of the food and chemical exposure of the food thatwent into that lot of processed food. Geolocation information 60 on thefarm or chemical plant at which testing has been or will be performedmay also be stored in the data storage layer 48. The farm or chemicalplant information 60 may include geofencing coordinates, such asperimeter coordinates for a field or plant, along with a description ofthe field or plant and the customer ID associated with that facility.Account data 62 may be stored in the data storage layer as well,including user IDs and associated information associated with eachaccount that utilizes the system.

Any of a number of probe types and technologies may be used in differentembodiments. An example of a probe type that maybe used to differentiatebetween often difficult to differentiate compounds such as 2,4-D anddicamba may include probes that are an interferometric biosensor type,such as an a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) or and an antibodyassay probe. These probes may be part of a detection system 10 thatproduces real-time readings for which the rate of change of thosereadings output by the probes may be measured with the discloseddetection system 10. For example the probes may each generate adiffraction or interferometric pattern and the changes in that patternare detected and analyzed by the computation layer or locally at themobile device 18 of the detection system 10, and are translated into acontaminant level, and not just a presence or absence of thecontaminant. In one implementation, the contaminant level may beproportional to a rate of change of the diffraction pattern measured,such that an integration of the rate of change in the diffractionpattern may be used to determine concentration levels. This calculationmay take place locally at the mobile device 18 or remotely at the server26.

Referring now to Examples 5-7 below, some embodiments of the use of thesystem of FIG. 1 in the specific context of decontamination of spraytanks are described.

Example 1

FIG. 5 illustrates a system for the decontamination of an agriculturalspray tank according to one embodiment. The system 100 includes at leastone spray tank 102. The spray tank 102 may be of any size and shape asis agriculturally acceptable to spray herbicide on a crop. Asillustrated, the spray tank 102 includes at least one feed pump 104connected to a spray boom 106 by a main feed line 108. The feed pump 104may be located outside of the spray tank 102 (not shown). The main feedline 108 may be fabricated from any material that is chemical, weather,and ozone resistant yet able to transport low pressure water-basedagricultural fluids. According to one embodiment, the main feed line 108is fabricated from ethylene propylene diene monomer (M-class) rubber.

The spray pump 104 is of an acceptable size to move one or more gallonsof rinsate per minute out of the tank 102 and to through the main feedline 108. The spray pump 104 may be powered via a battery pack (notshown) located within or external to the spray pump 104. The batterypack may be rechargeable and portable. The spray pump 104 may also bepowered via a direct current from a surrounding source (such as on atractor or generator or surrounding building).

The spray boom 106 includes a plurality of nozzles 110 connected by aspray boom manifold 112. The spray boom 106 may be of any agriculturallyacceptable size and include any number of nozzles 110. The nozzles 110and spray manifold 112 are fabricated from any agriculturally acceptablematerial that may withstand the demands of spraying herbicide on crops.

During use of the system 100, the spray boom 106 is enclosed within arinsate collection apparatus 114. The rinsate collection apparatus 114is of a size and shape to substantially or fully enclose the spray boom106. According to an alternative embodiment, the rinsate collectionapparatus 114 may partially enclose the spray boom 106. According toeither embodiment, the rinsate collection apparatus 114 collects rinsatedischarged from the nozzles 110 during use of the system 100. Therinsate collection apparatus 114 may be fabricated from any acceptablematerial that collects and directs rinsate. According to one embodiment,the rinsate collection apparatus 114 is fabricated from a solid,substantially non-flexible material that is substantially cylindricalshape such, for example, a pipe (e.g., polyvinyl chloride). According toone embodiment, the rinsate collection apparatus 114 is fabricated froma waterproof material. According to one embodiment, the rinsatecollection apparatus 114 is fabricated from a flexible material.According to one embodiment, the rinsate collection apparatus 114 isfabricated to form a bag or bladder that may be unfolded or unpackagedat the time of use and dried upon completion of decontamination.According to such an embodiment, the bag or bladder may be attached tothe spray boom 106 via at least one hook and loop fastener.

The rinsate collection apparatus 114 is connected to a feed pump 116 viaa first discharge line 118. The feed pump 116 causes rinsate from therinsate collection apparatus 114 to move through the first dischargeline 118 through the feed pump 116 and into a rinsate treatment unit 120via a second discharge line 119. The feed pump 116 is of an acceptablesize to move one or more gallons of rinsate per minute out of therinsate collection apparatus 114 and to through the second dischargeline 108. The feed pump 116 may be powered via a battery pack (nowshown) located within or external to the feed pump 116. The battery packmay be rechargeable and portable. The feed pump 116 may also be poweredvia a direct current from a surrounding source (such as on a tractor orgenerator or surrounding building). Each of the first and seconddischarge lines (118, 119) are fabricated from any material that ischemical, weather, and ozone resistant yet able to transport lowpressure water-based agricultural liquids such as, for example, ethylenepropylene diene monomer (M-class) rubber.

As illustrated, the discharge line 119 connects the feed pump 116 to atleast one filter 122 (e.g., a first filter) within the rinsate treatmentunit 120. The rinsate treatment unit 120 further includes an optionalsecond filter 124. The rinsate treatment unit 120 optionally includes adetector 126 located within the rinsate treatment unit 120. A firsttreatment line 128 connects the first filter 122 to the second filter124. A second treatment line 130 connects the second filter 124 to thedetector 126. A decontamination line 132 connects the detector 126 backto an inlet 134 (or cap 136) on the spray tank 102. Each of the firstand second treatment lines (128, 130) and decontamination line 132 arefabricated from any material that is chemical, weather, and ozoneresistant yet able to transport low pressure water-based agriculturalliquids such as, for example, ethylene propylene diene monomer (M-class)rubber.

The entire rinsate treatment unit 120 may be portable as well as sizedto be held and operated in the operator's hand. The rinsate treatmentunit 120 may be formed of a housing unit 121 that encompasses thefilter(s) (e.g., 122 and 124) and, optionally, the detector 126. Thehousing unit may be made of any acceptable material capable of enclosingand securing one or more filters (e.g., 122 and 124) and, optionally, adetector 126.

The at least one filter 122 (or first filter) aids the removal ordeactivation of herbicides present in the rinsate. According to oneembodiment, the filter 122 contains activated charcoal. According to oneembodiment, the activated charcoal is in powder form and exhibits a highaffinity for organic compounds such as herbicides. According to oneembodiment, the filter 122 contains at least one pound of activatedcharcoal for each 50 gallons of rinsate passed through the system.According to one embodiment, the filter 122 contains a fibrous form ofactivated carbon. According to another embodiment, the filter 122contains at least one resin. Suitable resins include, but are notlimited to, anion exchange resins, cation exchange resins, and softenerresins.

The optional second filter 124 further aids the removal or deactivationof herbicides present in the rinsate. According to one embodiment, thesecond filter 124 performs an ozonation process. According to one suchembodiment, the ozone is injected as small bubbles in the passingrinsate and then filtered. According to another embodiment, the secondfilter 124 includes an ultraviolet purification component. Theultraviolet component may be utilized alone or in addition to theozonation process. According to one embodiment, the filter 124 includesan ultraviolet light source (lamp) enclosed in a protective transparentsleeve. According to one embodiment, the light source may be mountedsuch that rinsate passes through a flow chamber in the filter 124 and isexposed to the ultraviolet light rays.

The detector 126, which may be all or part of the detector 10 of FIG. 1,analyzes the rinsate as the rinsate passes through the detector 126.According to one embodiment, the detector 126 provides real timereadings regarding herbicidal levels within the rinsate. According toone embodiment, the detector 126 confirms and provides documentation ofeffective cleanout based on herbicidal levels in the rinsate. Suchdocumentation may include real-time transmission of data via email,storage on an internal or external drive, or printout. Suchdocumentation provides evidence of herbicide removal and/or inactivationand reduces or eliminates liability on the farm operator for damagedcrops caused by herbicidal treatment.

According to one embodiment, the detector 126 may utilize gold catalyzedchemiluminescence immunoassay, immunoassay in microfluidics,electrochemical immunoassay, or dip-stick immunoassay. According to oneembodiment, the detector 126 may utilize an interferometric sensor basedon a planar optical waveguide. According to one embodiment, the detector126 may utilize immunoassays on top of the waveguide for detection ofone or more herbicides. According to one embodiment, the detector 126may include a reference component that provides secondary confirmationthat the system 100 is working properly. Such secondary confirmation mayinclude a visual confirmation or chemical reference that is detected andmeasured by the detector 126. According to one embodiment, the detector126 is calibrated to detect certain levels of at least one herbicide.According to one embodiment, the detector 126 is calibrated to detectcertain levels of specific herbicides such as, for example, 2,4-D(2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and dicamba(2-methoxy-3,6-dichlorobenzoic acid).

Example 2

FIG. 6 illustrates a system for the decontamination of an agriculturalspray tank according to an alternative embodiment. The system 200includes the same components as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 5.The detector 126, however, is located outside the rinsate treatment unit120. The detector 126 may be portable as well as sized to be held in theoperator's hand.

Example 3

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a system for the decontamination ofa vessel 222. As illustrated, a tube or other conduit 226 is introducedto the vessel 222 to place a detection system 230. A pump 228 may beutilized with the conduit 226 to aid in moving the fluid 224 from thevessel 222 to the detection system 230. The vessel 222 may be anindustrial/commercial mix tank or transportation vessel of any type. Inthe example of FIG. 7, the cleaning process may be a default cleaningprocess (time and amount of cleaning agent pre-determined) and themeasurement by the detection system 230 may be made as the rinsate fromthe cleaning process is drained from the vessel 22 at the end of thedefault cleaning process to verify in real-time the level of contaminanton-site without the need to send out a physical sample. In alternativeembodiments, the cleaning process may be accomplished using a fluidrecirculation process as described for the cleaning of a spray tank on afarm in FIGS. 5-6.

One embodiment of a method 300 for cleaning and verifyingdecontamination of a vessel, for example of a spray tank or similarvessel being used on a farm, using the systems described above isillustrated in FIG. 8. Using a handheld system such as illustrated inFIG. 1, the farmer may first enter a user identifier (ID) in the mobiledevice and the mobile device transmits that information to the remoteserver for authentication, along with automatically appendinginformation on the detector 12, which may include probe and/or detectioncircuitry identifying information (at 302). The probe and/or detectioncircuitry identifying information may include serial number informationfor the probe 20 and detection circuitry 22, the Media Access Control(MAC) address for each and the Internet protocol (IP) network address.After receiving and transmitting data at the mobile device forauthenticating the user, detector 12 and mobile device 18, the farmermay enter identifying information for the spray tank or other vesselbeing cleaned (at 304). The spray tank may have a scannable code, suchas an optically scannable bar code or QR code affixed to it that may beautomatically scanned with the mobile device. Any of a number of otherspray tank or other vessel identifier labelling techniques, such asradio frequency identifiers (RFIDs) and so on may be used.Alternatively, a unique serial number, code or other identifierassociated with the spray tank may be manually entered into the mobiledevice 18 and transmitted to the remote server 26. Additionally, thefarmer may use the mobile device to scan in or manually enter one ormore substance/contaminant identifiers, such as a Universal Product Code(UPC) for the one or more substances, to inform the remote server of theone or more contaminants that the sensor will be providing data onduring the spray tank cleaning process (at 306). The mobile device 18may also include geolocation information in its communications with theserver, either from a GPS sensor included in the mobile device 18 or aGPS software function capable of generating the location of the mobiledevice in cooperation with a cellular or other communication network incommunication with the mobile device. Alternatively, or in addition, themobile device may transmit a farm identifier entered by the user ordetermined by the GPS position of the mobile device.

After authenticating the user and equipment information, and assumingthat the server does not identify a mismatch in the probe capability andthe type of contaminant or substance to be tested, or any other user,device or location authenticity issue, the cleaning process may bestarted, for example using a set-up such as shown in Example 1 above,where the rinsate material is cycled through the spray tank and anyassociated equipment and real-time data from the probe and detectioncircuitry of the detector are transmitted to the mobile device 18. Themobile device 18 transmits the real-time data to the server and theserver 26 processes the data in real-time to account for the age of theprobe and probe type to determine contaminant levels (at 308). Theongoing contaminant level measurements may be transmitted back to themobile device 18 and displayed by the mobile device 18 to the farmer orother user (at 310).

Once the server 26 determines from the detector data that thecontaminant level is low enough to meet the desired standard, the server26 may transmit a completion signal to the mobile device 18 that may bedisplayed to the farmer (at 312) and prompts the farmer to then shut-offthe cleaning process (314). The mobile device 18 or server 26 may thenassociate the sprayed field ID with the spray tank ID (at 316), as wellas associate the crop specific data, such as lot ID and type, with thespray tank ID (at 318) in the historical test data record of the datastorage layer in the server.

Although the data transfer for the sensed contamination information forthe detector 12 may be sent to the remote server 26 for processing, andthe remote server may then analyze that data to determine contaminantlevel and immediately transmit back the contaminant level informationand a completion signal to the mobile device 18, in other embodiments,the mobile device may calculate and display the contamination levelinformation and generate the completion signal internally. In thisalternative embodiment, the mobile device may still perform the steps ofauthenticating user ID, detector information, vessel identification andcontaminant identification with the remote server 26 (steps 302, 304 and306), but instead of then sending the raw sensed contaminant data to theserver 26, the mobile device may internally identify and determine thecontaminant level from the raw sensor data without transmitting it tothe server 26. In this alternative embodiment, the algorithms foridentifying contaminant level, for adjusting calculation based on probeor other detector information and for recognizing the point (e.g. apredetermined contaminant level threshold or predetermined contaminantlevel range) when a desired contaminant level has been reached may allbe completed and generated at the mobile device itself. In order toimplement this alternative embodiment, the memory of the mobile devicemay be pre-loaded with instructions for making the analysis, or theserver 26 may transmit to the mobile device the instructions and otherinformation for the mobile device to locally process the data inresponse to receiving the authentication and device identificationinformation from the mobile device (steps 302-306).

In one alternative embodiment, the mobile device 18, may send a signalpreventing operation of the cleaning process equipment, such as thepumps that flush rinsate through the spray tank and spray arm describedin Example 1 above, if there is a mismatch or other irregularity in theauthentication information (user ID, geolocation information, etc.)provided to the server with the information contained in the server. Forexample, if the server determines from the contaminant identifyinginformation and the probe or other sensor identifying information thatthe probe 20 (or probes) is not suited to test for the contaminant, thenthe server may send a signal notifying the user not to start theprocess. Alternatively, the server may send a command or instructions tothe mobile device that is relayed to the cleaning equipment, to shut-offa power switch or other lockout device of the cleaning equipment toprevent the cleaning process from starting or continuing. In a variationof the above alternative, the mobile device 18 may receive theauthentication or compatibility error from the server and determinelocally to generate and send the power shut down command to the cleaningequipment.

In another embodiment, this automatic control of the cleaning processmay be applied when a cleaning process has already started. For example,when the completion signal is received from the server for thedecontamination process that is being monitored in real time (forexample at steps 312 and 314 of FIG. 8) this same power shut down codecapability may be used, where the completion signal of step 14 is eitheraccompanied by a command to be forward by the mobile device to shut downthe cleaning process, or by instructions for the mobile device togenerate its own shut-down command to automatically stop the cleaningprocess, rather than simply waiting for the farmer to shut down theequipment after receiving the displayed completion notification.

In various embodiments, the detection system 10, or at least the mobiledevice 18 of the system 10, may be interlocked with equipment to shutdown any equipment involved in any portion of the overall process ofmanaging the flow of chemicals and food, not just at the farm level orlimited to shutting down the cleaning process automatically as describedabove. Referring to FIG. 9, in one implementation, the interlock-enabledsystem and process consists of the detection system 10, for example themobile device 18 of the detection system 10, having a suitableelectromagnetic radiation (EMR) transmitter, for example radiofrequency, RFID, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular or optical technologies. Themobile device 18 may be a smartphone, tablet or other portable devicehaving a display 350, user input interface 352, processor 354, GPSlocation function or sensor 355, memory 356 and one or more EMRtransmitters 358. The equipment that mobile device 18 would be able tocontrol based on the contaminant detection results may include theentirety or a part of a vessel cleaning apparatus 360 (e.g. the cleaningequipment on the farm used to clean the vessel as described above), afood processing device 362 at a food processing location, farm equipment364 (such as a sprayer, tractor or other farm implement) at a farm, orany of a number of other pieces of equipment involved in the processingor movement of a chemical or food product near the mobile device 18. Anypiece of equipment 360, 362, 364 controllable by the mobile device mayinclude, either integrated in its circuitry or as a discrete add-oncomponent, an EMR receiver 366 compatible with the EMR transmitter 358,and an EMR-activated relay 368.

As in the above example of automatically shutting down the cleaningprocess on the farm, the mobile device 18 of the detector system 10 maybe programmed in memory 356 to send an EMR signal when sample resultsare within the specified range as determined locally or by the remoteserver. The EMR signal may be a direct wireless communication link 370between mobile device and equipment 360, 362, 364 as illustrated, or maybe via a communication path over one or more networks in communicationwith the equipment 360, 362, 364 and mobile device 18. Because the EMRreceiver 366 is preferably linked to a relay 368 that controls the powerto activate the connected equipment upon receipt of the signal,automated control of the particular equipment by the detection system 10may be achieved. It is contemplated that the equipment that can beincluded in interlocked mode with the detection system may includeshut-off valves, pumps, power control units, motors (tractors, farmequipment, conveyor belts, fork-lifts, etc.) and a variety of off/onswitches available for industrial processes. Also, it is contemplatedthat the mobile device 18 would only be able to control the particularpiece of equipment 360, 362, 364 located in geographical proximity tothe mobile device based on the testing or authentication taking place atthe processing stage where the user and mobile device are located. Thevarious different pieces of equipment 360. 362, 364 illustrated in FIG.9 are representative of the types of equipment the automated shut-downor lockout process may be applied and does not represent that all ofthese pieces of equipment must either be at the same geographicallocation or be simultaneously controllable by the shut-off commandtransmitted by a single mobile device.

In another embodiment, the more than one piece of equipment, or morethan one part of a single piece of equipment, may be independently andconcurrently controlled by remote commands from the mobile device 18.For example, if a cleaning process is taking place on a sprayer deviceon a farm, the sprayer device may include multiple sets of EMR receivers366 and associated EMR activated relays 368, each controlling adifferent function of the sprayer device. The detection system 10 maycontrol an EMR receiver and EMR activated relay associated with a pumpon the sprayer to shut-off that pump and stop a cleaning process of avessel on the sprayer in response to detecting that the contaminant ofinterest is at an acceptable level, while concurrently controllinganother part of the sprayer, such as a valve connecting the vessel tothe spray nozzles of the sprayer, to prevent any spraying operation ofthe sprayer until the contaminant of interest is at the acceptablelevel. Thus, both a shutdown of a cleaning process and a removal orinitiation of a lockdown of the normal operation of the equipment may becontrolled by signals automatically generated by the detection system 10or passed on by the detection system from the server 26. In yet otherembodiments, only the lockdown function to prevent of the equipment'snormal function may be automatically controlled and the shut-off of thecleaning process may be accomplished manually upon receipt and displayto the user of the completion notification as described above.

In addition to the ability for the detection system to automaticallyshut down equipment to prevent a contaminated vessel or product moveforward in processing, a management override function is contemplated torelease or reset the systems affected by a shutdown. In oneimplementation, it is contemplated that interlock (lockdown) activationwhen a contaminant level is too high may also trigger the detectorsystem 10 to record the time and GPS location of the initiation andtermination of signals for the shutdown. The mobile device 18 may storethis locally in memory 356 and/or transmit this information to theremote server 26. When the interlock is triggered, the mobile device 18may also concurrently generate and transmit a notification of theinterlock activation to a management device or devices. The notificationmay be an automatically generated call, text, email or othercommunication and may include the time and location of the shutdown, aswell as details on the user and specific equipment affected. If in replyan authorized management signal is subsequently received at the mobiledevice 18, the shutdown equipment may be released from the interlockshutdown command and resume operation.

An advantage of the mobile device 18 and portable detector 12 is thatthey can be used on location to send real-time data from the probe orprobes to a remote server for interpretation in real-time.Alternatively, the real-time data from the probe(s) may be interpretedand processed locally at the mobile device to provide contaminant levelinformation, rather than sending the data to the server for calculationof the contaminant levels. This real-time detection and localprocessing, or transmission and remote processing, of data during thecleaning process avoids the typical physical sample acquisition time anddelay before next use of the spray tank or other vessel while the sampleis sent to a lab. The farmer or user of the system, during a vesselcleaning process, may be able to use the real-time detection andcertification of contaminant level to shut off the cleaning process at apoint much earlier than a default process might require. This on-sitedetection and verification may also avoid the need to re-clean a tank orvessel that was cleaned with a default cleaning process but laterreceived results from the physical sample that indicated more cleaningwas necessary. Although the notification of completion of the process inreal-time described above provides the opportunity to save on time andcleaning materials over a default cleaning process, an automatedshut-off command may provide an even greater process improvement.

The alternative automated shut-off embodiments may avoid the need for afarmer to wait and keep looking at the displayed real-time contaminationlevel results during a vessel cleaning process and, when the completionnotification does arrive, manually shut down the cleaning process. Inyet other embodiments, the system may include the ability to preventfarm equipment from using a tank or vessel that has not been cleaned orthat has been cleaned, but not to a standard that the particular fieldon a farm, or farm as a whole (based on the geolocation of the tank andfarm equipment) are registered in the server to require. In thisembodiment, the farm equipment, such as a tractor or sprayer vehicle,includes a lockdown device that is capable of preventing or shuttingdown power to the vehicle, or at least power to the portion of thevehicle capable of distributing the contents of the vessel, if thevehicle attempts to use uncleaned, or improperly cleaned vessel.

As described previously, the probe 20 and detector circuitry 22 of aportable detector 12 that may be used in the detection system 10described herein may be configured for measuring the presence of one orof multiple different chemicals/contaminants. An advantage of thedetection system 10 and remote server 26 processing of real-timecontaminant measurements is that certain substances, for exampleherbicides 2,4-D and dicamba can be difficult to differentiate withsingle sensors. Due to the ability of the detection system to detect andtransmit information in real-time, difficult to distinguish substancessuch as these may be more successfully differentiated. Signals fromdifferent probes may be combined in the present system to allow thecomputation layer of the server to interpret the signals in real-timeusing a comparison algorithm based on pre-determined operatingcharacteristics of the particular probe or probe technology:

TABLE 1 Chemical Probe 1 Probe 2 2,4-D Strong Strong Dicamba Weak Strongwhere the presence of a strong signal on both probes (each probe using adifferent technology) in a side-by-side real-time comparison allows thealgorithm to identify 2, 4-D rather than dicamba, when a single readingfrom a probe like Probe 1 or Probe 2 in the above Table 1 would not beable to make the distinction. Other side-by-side comparisons ofreal-time signals from different probes allow differentiation of otherchemicals that may typically be difficulty to detect otherwise. Forexample, if one probe is a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) type thatcan recognize two compounds in a certain compound family but notdifferentiate compounds within that compound family is used inconjunction with a more precise probe, such as an antibody-based probethat responds to a specific one of those two compounds in the compoundfamily but not the other, than the algorithm may simply be a subtractionof the two probe outputs to determine the presence of the other of thetwo compounds.

The above examples of a local, real-time contaminant detection andverification system are specific to vessels being tested on-site, forexample at a farm where a farmer wishes to verify both that a chemicalto be used is correct and accounted for, and to verify that the vesselis cleaned before reusing or storing that vessel. The systems andmethods described herein, however, are adaptable for each of the stagesof production. One example of a multi-stage production process 400 thatmay take advantage of the shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 represents a flow offood production from field to home, with tracking the food safety for aparticular food product from production to the table. The first stage ofthe food production flow of FIG. 10 includes a production plant 402where a chemical, such as a pesticide, is produced and introduced intothe food production path. The second stage includes a farm 404 at whichfood is grown that uses the pesticide from the production plant 402. Thethird stage is a food processing facility 406 that receives the foodharvested from the farm 404 and either prepares the harvested food forsale as unprocessed food 412 (e.g. whole apples) or prepares some formof processed food 414 (e.g. applesauce, apple pie) from the harvestedfood. The store 408 and the home 410 are represented as the final twostages of the food production flow 400. The overall food production flowwith safety management that is illustrated in FIG. 10 is just one ofmany contemplated flows and greater or fewer stages may also be utilizedin other implementations when tracking a product and contaminant levels.

Each of the stages in FIG. 10 may utilize the contaminant testing andtracking technique described above and utilize its own mobile device 18and detector unit 12 to sample and receive real-time information oncontaminant levels at each respective stage of the food production flow.A single central contaminant tracking service, represented in FIG. 1 asthe server 26, may process and store information received from thedifferent contaminant detection systems 10 at each stage (402, 404, 406,408, 410) for multiple different entities. Thus, each stage may utilizea different detection system 10 (mobile device 18 and detector 12)suited for the specific type/level/granularity of contaminantmeasurement desired. All of the different detection systems 10 used maycommunicate over the one or more networks 24 between the respectivesystem and the central server 26 that tracks the path of the chemicalcontaining vessels and the product(s) exposed to the vessel contents, inthe historical test data records section 56 in the data storage layer 48of the server 26. In this manner, specific crop may be tracked, alongwith the chemicals and chemical containers that came into contact withit, and certified as satisfying a predetermined contaminant exposurelevel with accuracy and confidence. Although each stage of theproduction process in FIG. 10 may include the use of a separatedetection system 10, the detection systems are not reproduced in FIG. 10for ease of illustration.

Referring to FIG. 10, a process of using a system such as shown in FIG.1, to certify the chemical supply chain of a chemical to be used with acrop is described. At the production plant 402, a user of the mobiledevice 18 first enters a user identification ID. When submitting theuser ID, the mobile device also automatically transmits location andtime stamp data for the mobile device and the hardware informationrelating to the detector unit 12 associated with the mobile device 18.The mobile device includes global positioning system (GPS) capability,for example via a standalone GPS sensor in the mobile device 18 orthrough use of GPS functionality available through a cellular network incommunication with the mobile device. The mobile device 18 passes onthis data via a wireless or wired network 24 to the tracking server 26.At the tracking server 26, the server verifies the user ID and matchesthe detector unit information to verify the capabilities of the probeand sensor circuitry in the detector unit. The detection system 10 inuse at the production plant 402 may be used to verify the purity, inother words that the chemical product being produced is at a high enoughconcentration to indicate what is being produced is what is expected,and record the content of that tank with the server. After production ofa batch of the chemical is finished and the tank is cleaned, the samedetection system may then be used to detect that the production vesselis properly cleaned to a low enough level of that chemical before beingused for another production process.

As illustrated in the legend 416 of FIG. 10, different combinations ofbarcode checking and location tracking (designated task “A”),contaminant testing (designated task “B”), new barcode association(designated task “C”) and contaminant dependent interlock functionality(designated task “D”), may take place at each stage and within eachstage. In the first stage 402, the chemical supplies 420 received intothe production plant 402 are simply scanned, but those used as the rawmaterials 422 going into a product formulation (e.g. into productionvessel 418) are scanned tested for contaminants, and production of thechemical product (e.g. pesticide) may be stopped (tasks A-D) if thedetection system 10 identifies a contaminant in the raw materials.Similarly, the finished goods 424 from the production vessel 418 areprocessed through tasks A-D to track the path of the chemicals throughproduction and prevent shipment if a contaminant is detected. Aproduction plant geofence 426 may be used in conjunction with the GPSlocation capabilities of the mobile devices 18 used in the detectionsystems 10 to verify that the chemical products are at the chemicalplant 402. At the next stage 404, the mobile device 18 of the detectionsystem 10 located at the farm 404 scans in the incoming finishedchemical goods (e.g. herbicide) and the previously established farmgeofence 428 provides verification at the server that the expectedchemicals 424 are received at the correct location, where they may bescanned and checked for contaminants. The chemical products may be usedin a spray tank 430, where the spray tank 430 is tested, before andafter use, as described previously. As discussed above, the lockoutfunction at the farm 404 may be implemented as a shutdown of the sprayerand or the tractor carrying the sprayer if the sprayer is not cleaned orcontains an undesirable contaminant based on the detector systemmeasurements taken on site (tasks A, B and D). The farm stage alsoincludes the creation of a new bar code or other identifier (task C) atharvest to link the harvested food to the specific chemicals used, thefarm location and the testing history of the one or more vessels used inthe process of growing and harvesting the food. Additional chemicalexposure data may be provided to the system 100 at the farm stage 404 byone or more drift detectors 432 that can be located just inside oroutside the field boundary (geofence) to determine if adjacent fieldherbicide or other chemical application drifted into the area of thecrop being harvested. The location of the drift detector 432, the timeof the measurements and the crop or lot identifier may be linked in thehistorical test data 56 of the server 26 based on a query to the driftdetector 432 by a mobile device 18 that is in communication with theserver 26.

In one embodiment, the geofence 426 at the production plant or thegeofence 428 at the farm, may each be a plurality of separatelyidentifiable geofences (previously determined and provided to thedetection system 10 or server 26) that divide up the production facilityor farm into separately identifiable sections. For example, the farm mayinclude separate geofences for each different field so the location ofequipment and chemicals can be tracked on a field-by-field basis. Inthis manner, a farmer will be able to specify that sprayer equipment,such as a spray rig, with the current chemicals is compatible for fields1, 2 and 3 but not field 4, 5 and 6 until the spray rig has beencertified as clean. Thus, the detection system 10 could either beconfigured to maintain a lockdown of the spraying operation capabilitiesof the spray rig for anywhere in the overall farm geofence until thevessel and/or other components of the spray rig are cleaned, or may beconfigured to lockdown the spraying operations of the spray rig on onlypre-designated fields within the farm until the spray rig is certifiedas cleaned.

After being harvested, the lot or lots of harvested foods may be shippedto a food processing facility 46 as a next stage. The harvested lots maybe lightly processed, such as basic washing and packing of fruits orvegetable, or may be prepared in a more processed form, such as a sauceor other prepared version of the harvested food. Whether prepared asunprocessed food 412 or processed food 414, each item or package isbarcode detected, tested for contaminants, given a new barcode that islinked to the history of the prior one and, subject to a processinginterlock feature (e.g. automatically signaling equipment at the foodprocessing facility 406 to shut down, such as by shutting down aconveyor or preventing automated movement or shipment of a lot thatfails a contaminant test (see task A-D). A detection system 10 that maybe used at the processing facility 406 may be configured withappropriate probes to sample wash water used to rinse the fruits orvegetables and/or headspace gasses given off by the fruits orvegetables, for example. At the store stage 408 or home stage 410, adetection system 10 may also be used to check and record location datafor the processed or unprocessed food, as well as to perform sometesting for contaminants. As with the type of testing done at the foodprocessing facility, the store and home tests may include testing washwater and or headspace gasses.

It is expected that the server may communicate with one or more of aregulatory server 28, insurance company server, food industry server orother authorized system to provide verification of measurements andprocedures that the food has gone through. The communication may be inthe form a token or other data structure at, which may be encrypted witha shared key for improved trust and validity, certifying that levels oftoxins or contaminants measured fall within a predetermined range. Thesecertifications or tokens may be locally stored at the server 26 uponreceipt from the regulatory server or other certification source andaccessible to stores and to consumers at their homes, by scanning thebarcode or other identifier on the processed or unprocessed food, tobolster confidence in the quality level of the food. Thesecertifications may be automatically transmitted by the server 26 to aninsurer, association, cooperative or other interested and authorizedparty in response to a predefined milestone in processing of the food orchemical. For example any available certification token, and/or thehistorical data for the product (or chemical or vessel), may betriggered for transmission by the server in response to receipt at theserver of a location change for the tracked food, chemical or vessel(chemical production facility to farm, farm to food processing facilityand/or food processing facility to store transitions). The locationchange may be triggered by barcode scanning and geolocation data of thescanning device, such as a detection system 10, that reaches the server.

Referring to FIG. 11, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem that may be used in, or for, one or more of the componentsdescribed above, or in any other system configured to carry out themethods discussed above, is shown and is designated 500. The computersystem 500 can include a set of instructions that can be executed tocause the computer system 500 to perform any one or more of the methodsor computer-based functions disclosed herein. The computer system 500may be mobile or non-mobile, operate as a stand-alone device, or may beconnected using a network, to other computer systems or peripheraldevices.

In a networked deployment, the computer system may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-clientuser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 500 can alsobe implemented as, or incorporated into, various devices, such as apersonal computer (“PC”), a tablet PC, a set-top box (“STB”), a personaldigital assistant (“PDA”), a mobile device such as a smart phone ortablet, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, anetwork router, switch or bridge, or any other machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. In a particular embodiment, thecomputer system 500 can be implemented using electronic devices thatprovide voice, video or data communication. Further, while a singlecomputer system 500 is illustrated, the term “system” shall also betaken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the computer system 500 may include aprocessor 502, such as a central processing unit (“CPU”), a graphicsprocessing unit (“GPU”), or both. Moreover, the computer system 500 caninclude a main memory 504 and a static memory 506 that can communicatewith each other via a bus 508. As shown, the computer system 500 mayfurther include a video display unit 510, such as a liquid crystaldisplay (“LCD”), an organic light emitting diode (“OLED”), a flat paneldisplay, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (“CRT”).Additionally, the computer system 500 may include one or more inputdevices 512, such as a keyboard, scanner, digital camera or audio inputdevice, and a cursor control device 514, such as a mouse. The computersystem 500 can also include a memory unit 516, which may be a solidstate or a disk drive memory, a signal generation device 518, such as aspeaker or remote control, and a network interface device 520.

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 11, the memory unit 516may include a computer-readable medium 522 in which one or more sets ofinstructions 524, such as software, can be embedded. Further, theinstructions 524 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions 524 mayreside completely, or at least partially, within the main memory 504,the static memory 506, and/or within the processor 502 during executionby the computer system 500. The main memory 504 and the processor 502also may include computer-readable media.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations,including application specific integrated circuits, programmable logicarrays and other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement oneor more of the methods described herein. Applications that may includethe apparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium thatincludes instructions 524 or receives and executes instructions 524responsive to a propagated signal; so that a device connected to anetwork 526 can communicate voice, video or data over the network 526.Further, the instructions 524 may be transmitted or received over thenetwork 526 via the network interface device 520.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any tangible medium thatis capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions forexecution by a processor or that cause a computer system to perform anyone or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories, such as flash memory. Further, the computer-readablemedium can be a random access memory or other volatile re-writablememory. Additionally, the computer-readable medium can include amagneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes or otherstorage device to capture information communicated over a transmissionmedium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives may be considered a distributionmedium that is equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of acomputer-readable medium or a distribution medium and other equivalentsand successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols commonly used by financialinstitutions, the invention is not limited to such standards andprotocols. For example, standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same or similar functions as those disclosed herein areconsidered equivalents thereof.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention are hereinillustrated and described in detail, the invention is not limitedthereto. The above detailed descriptions are provided as exemplary ofthe present invention and should not be construed as constituting anylimitation of the invention. Modifications will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art, and all modifications that do not depart from thespirit of the invention are intended to be included with the scope ofthe appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A chemical contaminant detection system comprising: aportable detector having a probe and detector circuitry for detecting apredetermined contaminant in a fluid sample; and a mobile deviceconfigured to: wirelessly receive contaminant detection data from theportable detector and transmit the contaminant detection data from theportable detector to a remotely located processor in real-time; andreceive and display on the mobile device real-time contaminant leveldata processed by the remotely located processor from the contaminantdetection data.
 2. The chemical contaminant detection system of claim 1,wherein the system is mobile and sized to be hand-held.
 3. The chemicalcontaminant detection system of claim 1, wherein the portable detectorcomprises a plurality of probes, each of the probes configured to detecta different contaminant.
 4. The chemical contaminant detection system ofclaim 1, wherein the portable detector is configured to receive thefluid sample from a rinsate collection apparatus connected to a vesselfor containing fluid, during a cleaning process of the vessel.
 5. Thechemical contaminant detection system of claim 4, the mobile device isconfigured to receive and display a cleaning completion notificationreceived from the remote processor in response to determination by theremote processor that the transmitted contaminant data indicates acontaminant level in the fluid sample has reached a predetermined level.6. The chemical contaminant detection system of claim 5, wherein themobile device is further configured to, in response to receiving thecleaning completion notification, automatically transmit a shut-offinstruction to cleaning equipment being used in the cleaning process ofthe vessel.
 7. The chemical contaminant detection system of claim 6,wherein subsequent to transmitting the shut-off instruction, the mobiledevice is configured to transmit a farm identifier and a crop identifierto the remotely located processor for association of a farm and a cropwith the vessel at the remote server.
 8. The chemical contaminantdetection system of claim 2, wherein the mobile device is furtherconfigured to, in response to receiving real-time contaminant level dataprocessed by the remote processor from the contaminant detection data,within a predetermined contaminant level range, automatically transmit ashut-off instruction to processing equipment in communication with themobile device.
 9. The chemical contaminant detection system of claim 2,wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of asmartphone, tablet, and portable computer.
 10. The chemical contaminantdetection system of claim 3, wherein a mobile device is configured to:wirelessly receive contaminant detection data from the portable detectorfor each of the plurality of probes and to transmit the contaminantdetection data from the portable detector to a remotely locatedprocessor in real-time; receive and display on the mobile devicereal-time contaminant level data for each of a plurality of differentcontaminants determined by the remote processor from the contaminantdetection data for the plurality of probes.
 11. A method of determiningthe level of chemical contaminant in a fluid sample, the methodcomprising the steps of: introducing a probe of a portable detectorsystem into a fluid sample, wherein the probe is configured to detect atleast one contaminant in the fluid sample; wirelessly transmittingcontaminant detection signals from detection circuitry in communicationwith the probe to a mobile device of the portable detector system;transmitting, in real-time, the contaminant detection signals from themobile device to a remotely located processing system; receiving, inresponse to the transmitted contaminant detection signals, real-timecontaminant level data processed by the located processing system fromthe contaminant detection signals; and displaying the real-timecontaminant level data to a user on a display of the mobile device. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the fluid sample is taken from anagricultural spray tank located on a farm.
 13. The method of claim 11,wherein the fluid sample is taken from an industrial mix tank ortransportation tank.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the fluidsample is taken during food processing at a food processing facility.15. The method of claim 11, wherein the portable detector systemcomprises a plurality of probes, each of the probes configured to detecta different contaminant; and wherein the method further comprisesconcurrently transmitting contaminant detection signals from detectioncircuitry in communication with each of the plurality of probes to themobile device of the portable detector system.
 16. The method of claim11, wherein introducing the probe of the portable detector system intothe fluid sample comprises introducing the probe into rinsate from arinsate collection apparatus connected to a vessel during a cleaningprocess on a farm.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisingreceiving a cleaning completion notification from the remote processorin response to determination by the remote processor that thetransmitted detection signals indicates a contaminant level in the fluidsample has reached a predetermined acceptable level.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising the mobile device, in response to thecleaning completion message, transmitting a shut-off command configuredto automatically shut of equipment being used in the cleaning process ofthe vessel.
 19. A method for managing contaminant certification databased on real-time testing of contaminants at local stages of productionof a product, the method comprising: in a system having a plurality ofproduct handling facilities at different geographic locations, whereineach of a plurality of portable contaminant detection systems located ata respective one of the product handling facilities is in communicationwith a central contaminant tracking server, the central contaminanttracking server: receiving user and device identification from aportable contaminant detection system at one of the plurality of producthandling facilities; receiving real-time contaminant detection data fromthe portable contaminant detection system; determining a contaminanttype and a current contaminant level data from received the contaminantdetection data; transmitting the current contaminant level data to theportable contaminant detection system for display at the portablecontaminant detection system, wherein determining the contaminant typeand transmitting the current contaminant level data is performed inreal-time; and in response to determining that the current contaminationlevel has reached a desired threshold, transmitting a completionnotification to the portable contaminant detection system.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the central contaminant tracking servertransmitting a completion notification to the a portable contaminantdetection system comprises: transmitting instructions to the portablecontaminant detection system configured to cause the portablecontaminant detection system to send a shut-off command to equipment atthe one of the plurality of product handling facilities to cease acleaning operation.